Warriors: Squirrelflight's Destiny
by Mossheart13
Summary: The war with the Dark Forest is over, but what happened to the clans? When a terrifying prophecy is cast to Leafpool, she believes StarClan has lied. When Sol appears in a torrent of blood beside Brambleclaw, Leafpool's suspicions about the prophecy are confirmed. Squirrelflight must choose between her own destiny or following her father's path. Will the clans survive? What cost?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Bramblestar, wake up!" Squirrelflight's voice woke the dark brown tabby. His eyes flashed open and he surveyed the horrible wreckage done to ThunderClan's camp. The dens were destroyed. It would take moons to rebuild. Even worse were the four bodies lying in the clearing. Brambleclaw had fallen asleep, his muzzle buried in Firestar's dark ginger fur, during the night vigil. _I'm sorry, StarClan, _he turned amber eyes on Silverpelt. _Please forgive me. _"It's okay," Squirrelflight murmured, pressing her flank to his. "I won't tell any cat."

Brambleclaw nodded his thanks, too tired and worn out to speak. The clan needed to be organized into patrols, and the horrible damage taken care of. It felt good to have his mate by his side once again. He stayed there for a moment, comfortable against her warm fur. Then, he pressed his muzzle into her flank fur. Brambleclaw pulled away and headed towards the Highledge.

Jayfeather's eyes, dull with grief and exhaustion, signaled his leader over with his tail. "Is it okay if we put off the trip to the Moonpool till tomorrow night?" he asked. "There are so many wounded and dead cats. I'll need to stay here."

Brambleclaw dipped his head. "Of course. The clan comes first."

Jayfeather's eyes, still exhausted, were flooded with relief. "Thank you, Brambleclaw," he mewed gratefully, turning back to his herbs and the sick and wounded cats surrounding him.

The dark tabby touched his tail-tip to his adopted son's pelt. Jayfeather flinched, but didn't retort. Tiredness had robbed him of that, too. Brambleclaw's eyes had filled with worry. "Just promise me you'll get some sleep."

The gray tom opened his mouth as if to argue, then closed it again. "Okay, great Bramblestar. Whatever you say! Can I have Leafpool to help me for the rest of the day? She's been a lot of help."

Brambleclaw was taken aback by the medicine cat's tartness. Usually, Jayfeather was crisp and sarcastic. Now, he was quiet and hardworking, not a bite in his normally sharp tongue. "Okay. I know how important the clan's health was to Firestar."

Padding towards the Highledge, Brambleclaw heaved himself up the tumble of rocks. "Cats of ThunderClan, gather under the Highledge for a clan meeting!" Purdy, the last elder, looked up from where he was pressing his nose into Mousefur's dusky brown pelt for the last time. Spiderleg paused beside him, with Dustpelt and Birchfall taking up positions next to Ferncloud's body.

Brambleclaw glimpsed Birchfall glare over at his brother before turning his attention to the Highledge. "Cats of ThunderClan," Brambleclaw began, "Last night, we sat vigil for four warriors: Firestar, Ferncloud, Mousefur, and Hollyleaf." The dark tabby choked back his grief as he announced the dead cats' names. "We will honor these cats for moons to come: Firestar; what cat could we have owed more to? He came to the forest as a kittypet, and left for StarClan as a noble clan leader. Ferncloud has cared for the kits well these past few seasons. She died defending the nursery. ThunderClan will never forget her."

"Never," Cloudtail vowed in agreement. "She saved my kits."

"Mousefur was a warrior all her life. For season upon season, she was a warrior in the old forest. When the Great Journey came, she completed it without complaining; only worry for the kits and elders forced her to speak up. The clan benefited from her wisdom for many, many moons, and we will all miss her.

"Hollyleaf was one of the bravest warriors ThunderClan has ever had," Brambleclaw began.

"Yeah. If you call running away brave," Spiderleg taunted. Brambleclaw shot him a glare. "She was your clanmate. She died so that Ivypool wouldn't have to."

Dovewing turned wide blue eyes on her sister. Brambleclaw leaped down from Highledge and paused beside Firestar's body, eyes clouding. "ThunderClan couldn't have asked for a truer leader or mentor. May their spirits travel safely to StarClan."

The clan nodded in agreement. "Brambleclaw?" Lionblaze stopped in front of the warrior. "May I take Hollyleaf's body out of the camp for burial?"

"Yes. Ask Leafpool to help you." He padded over to help his mate carry the fallen leader's signed body to his final resting place. Squirrelflight's eyes clouded with fear and sadness. Her green gaze, always so bright and lively, seemed to have died, or fallen into a chasm where it could never be retrieved from. _Will everything really be okay? _she seemed to ask.

_Yes, Squirrelflight. It will. I'll die to make it okay. I'll die nine times over and then a tenth after that to keep you safe. _

Gazing into her soft eyes, he wondered how he could have missed all that time that could have been spent with her. She had, after all, meant everything for the best. And that's how it had turned out, after all. "You were right, Squirrelflight," he murmured, settling down beside her to scrape earth over Firestar's body. "You were right all along.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Blood sprayed over a wide chasm's lip, spiralling down into black nothingness. With it, it swept the lake away, the clans away. The thick, sticky torrent started to swell until it was fifty times bigger than the four clan's territory combined. And, standing at the top of it all, was Sol.

A terrifying ringing echoed in Leafpool's ears: _"Blood will spill blood until the lake, the forest, and the mountains run red."_

The former medicine cat woke curled in a mossy nest, Jayfeather by her side. Her heartbeat slowed. _It never happened! None of that Dark Forest stuff ever happened! No cat has learned my secret except for Squirrelflight! Jayfeather is still my apprentice! And StarClan is sending me messages! _

Heart leaping with joy, Leafpool made her way out of the screen of brambles that obscured the medicine den. The night was clear and cool. Ashfur's gray flecked pelt was silhouetted against the greenleaf moonlight, and Leafpool could hear Ferncloud's gentle whitecough wheezing inside the nursery. She bounded up the tumble of rocks to Firestar's den. Pelt fizzing, she pushed her way inside, expecting, hoping, praying her eyes would meet two cats' flame-colored fur, rising and falling together in the darkness of the shadows. Instead, yellow eyes bored holes in her face.

"So you came." Sol was sitting in her father's nest, gently picking a claw with his teeth. His long-furred coat was groomed smoothly and elonquantly to his sides.

"Sol." Leafpool's voice was a quiet, whispering mew. "You came."

"I came," Sol replied. "I returned, just as I promised the clans I would." His normally calm face aquired a maniac look. "I came to hurt them. Tigerstar was a fool. He persuaded me to join him, but I steered clear of the fighting. No. When the Great Battle came, I did not fight. I hid."

"Coward," Leafpool snarled. Her mind was whirling. _So it did happen! Then why are Ashfur and Ferncloud alive? _She pushed her way out of the leader's den. Sol let her go. Bounding down the rockfall, she pushed her way through the thistles to the elders' den.

Longtail and Purdy slept peacefully. But Mousefur was drowned in a pool of her own blood. Leafpool's pelt pricked with fear. _StarClan save us! _Racing over to the nursery, she heard Ferncloud erupting in a hacking fit which abrubtly ended. Leafpool could not hear her breathing. Too afraid of what she might find, she ran swiftly to the medicine den. _Jayfeather will know! He has sharper hearing than any cat in the clan, except for maybe Dovewing. _

Pain pricked Leafpool's heart. Her blind kit's nest was empty. She returned to the clearing and tipped her head so her amber eyes faced the stars. At the edge of her vision, she saw two toms, one golden and one gray, padding towards the sky, leaving a trail of stars behind for pawsteps. _Oh, StarClan, no, not Lionblaze, too!_

Leafpool slumped to the ground in a silent moan. She knew Hollyleaf wasn't there. "Satisfied?" she snarled to Sol, emerging slowly from his den.

"Why, no," he replied. "This is what will happen to your clanmates if you don't do what I say," he snarled, barring her way. His yellow eyes glinted. "I can't say Tigerstar's fighting skills are null. They come in useful sometimes."

"What do you want?" Leafpool yowled. "Tell me!"

"SkyClan." Sol flexed his claws. "The _fifth _clan."

"What do you mean, the fifth clan?" Leafpool asked. "StarClan is the fifth clan!"

Sol showed Leafpool sharp, yellowing teeth, coming together in a nasty, mocking smile. "Not any longer. Didn't your precious StarClan tell you?" he mocked. Turning, her padded away.

"Wait!" Leafpool yowled after him. "StarClan doesn't lie!"

Sol didn' t reply. The vision faded, and Leafpool was writhing on the scoured ground near the damaged warriors' den.

"Leafpool! Wake up!" Jayfeather prodded his former mentor's side. His voice was crisp after a long night of rest. "It's Graystripe! He's bleeding! I tried fixing it with cobwebs and marigold, but it's not working. He's lost a lot of blood so far."

The brown tabby she-cat scrambled to her paws. "I'll be right there. Where is Graystripe?"

"In the medicine den," Jayfeather explained worriedly. "I had Thornclaw and Brackenfur move him there so I could keep and eye on him."

"He was on the dawn patrol," Squirrelflight's voice broke in. "Millie's fretting."

"Yes, she keeps yowling something about Twolegs and Briarlight," Blossomfall broke in. "And that silver cat."

Leafpool nodded. "Of course. Silverstream was Graystripe's former mate." She finished washing her paws and hurried over to the medicine den where Jayfeather sat, crouched over Graystripe's limp body, pulsating blood.

"Cinderpelt," the warrior rasped. "I need Cinderpelt."

"I'm here," Cinderheart stepped forward, bending to give Graystripe's ear a quick lick.

"Am I... going..." blood gurgled in his throat.

"Go on," Cinderheart chided gently.

"Am I going... to die... like Silver...stream did?"

"Leafpool will make sure you don't."

"But you don't... understand..." Graystripe's voice cracked. "Silverstream... Feathertail... Stormfur... Briarlight..." there was a longer pause. Then, finally, "Millie..." his voice rasped away. "They're all... all gone."

"No, they're not," Cinderheart meowed fiercely. "Silverstream and Feathertail are watching over you, Graystripe, just like they always have. And Stormfur is just a short journey away, in the mountains." Cinderheart continued to rasp her tongue over his flank as she spoke of his first mate and kits. "I was _there, _Graystripe. I feel just as guilty as you for letting her go."

"Quiet, now. Hush." A different cat, Cinderpelt, pushed Briarlight and Jayfeather out of the den, as well as Millie. "It'll do you good to go for a walk."

Leafpool burst out of the cleft. "I brought thyme and raspberry juice."

"Good," Cinderpelt purred. "Patch up Graystripe's flank." Bumblestripe had found the useful berries growing in the abandoned Twoleg nest just a few sunrises ago. While Cinderheart licked Graystripe's ear soothingly, Leafpool applied the herbs, using raspberry juice to seal them all together. She pushed the thyme into the gray warrior's throat, stroking it to make him swallow.

The blood dripping over the gray fur soon dried. Leafpool settled herself into the moss beside him as Cinderheart left the den. "Get better soon, Graystripe," she murmured. She couldn't imagine life without him


End file.
